


Something Worth Fighting For

by orphan_account



Category: Olympics RPF, Swimming RPF
Genre: First Kiss, Love Confessions, M/M, Tyler!Bashing, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-16
Updated: 2014-06-16
Packaged: 2018-02-04 20:51:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1792795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael finds out that Ryan is in love with him... and Tyler Clary gets the ever-loving shit kicked out of him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something Worth Fighting For

* * *

Michael startles at the sound of a fist banging on the door to his and Ryan's room. “Dude! Get out here!” Matt Grevers hollers at the top of his very impressive lungs. “Lochte’s about to kick Clary's ass.”

Michael is up and across the room in a matter of seconds. He flings the door open and goes barreling down the hallway, Matt hot on his heels. Toward the end of the corridor Michael can see where the other swimmers have formed a semicircle around their feuding teammates like concert goers watching a forming mosh pit. It's true that Tyler has been baiting Ryan into arguments since the beginning of training camp but Michael never thought it would go further than that. Ryan was too chill for that... or at least Michael thought he was. He has to reconsider that thought when he hears the hard, wet, packing sounds of a fist colliding with flesh and he prays to a God that he doesn't even believe in, _“Dear Lord, please. Please don't let Ryan kill him.”_

Michael shoves his way past everyone, sees Ryan on top of Tyler, bashing away at his face like a UFC fighter that just got the ground-n-pound position. There is blood absolutely everywhere. “Ryan, stop!” Michael screams, tackling Ryan from behind in an effort to drag him off of Tyler's prone form. Ryan lets out a roar of complete and total fury and throws Michael off. Michael comes right back at him, determined to keep his best friend from hurting his opponent further all the while looking around frantically and wondering why no one else is stepping in to stop the fight. “Stop! Stop! Ryan, you gotta stop!” Michael screams again. “Ryan! You're gonna fuckin' kill him. Stop!”

When no one moves Michael realizes it's up to him and only him. He gets a hold on one of Ryan's arms and uses every ounce of his strength to finally pull Ryan off of Tyler. Ryan’s shirt is covered in Tyler’s blood and his knuckles have already swollen up from impact of each of his punches. Michael holds him back even when he raises his arms in an _I’m Done With This_ gesture. “Remember this, Clary. Don’t you ever threaten what’s mine again” Ryan snarls down at the man he’s brutalized. “Next time there won’t be anyone around to hold me back and then I’ll really fuckin’ kill you.” And with that Ryan turns and walks away as if nothing’s happened. Michael follows him.

“What the fuck was that about?!” Michael exclaims when he enters their shared room and finds Ryan pacing back and forth like a tiger in a cage. “Are you trying to get yourself kicked out of the Village?”

“I won't get kicked out.” Ryan answers. “Nobody's gonna say anything. No one ever does. It's, like, an unspoken rule. What happens in the Village and all that shit.”

“That shit as you so nonchalantly put it was you bashing your teammate's face in with your fists,” Michael grates. “What were you thinking? What were you doing?”

“I was protecting what's mine!” Ryan fires back. “That's all I ever do. You can't blame me for following a basic instinct that's been ingrained in human DNA since the beginning of time!”

“Oh, fuck you! You are so full of shit your eyes should be brown,” Michael shouts. “Why is it that you can't make it through a single interview without sounding like some douche bag frat boy but whenever it comes to thinking up an excuse to cover your own ass you suddenly become Dylan fuckin' Thomas?”

“I don't know, okay? Is that what you wanna hear?” Ryan shouts back. “I don't fucking know, Mike. All I know is that he was gonna hurt you and I wasn't about to let that happen.”

“Wait! What?” Michael asks, “Clary was gonna hurt me?”

“Yeah,” Ryan nods. “I overheard him bragging to some of the French swimmers that he was gonna do something to make sure you would never be able to race again and I just fuckin' snapped. I confronted him and he said that it was none of my business and I told him that you're always my business and it just all went to Hell after that.” Ryan stops pacing and gets right up in Michael's face, one of his extremely swollen hands coming up to grasp at the back of Michael's neck and bring them closer until their foreheads are touching.

“But, why?” Michael sighs. “Would you have done the same thing if it was Nathan or Cullen or Matt?”

“Of course not, you dork.” Ryan smiles softly. “I'm not in love with them."

“You... you're in love with me?”

“No, Mike, I just nearly beat a guy to death because I felt like it.” Ryan deadpans. “Of course I'm in love with you, man. I've been in love with you since the first day we met.”

“That's a long time, Ry” Michael says. “Why didn't you tell me before?”

“I couldn't figure out how,” Ryan admits. “I'd look at you and I'd try to say it but it would never come out right. But now you know, even if it wasn't exactly the way I pictured telling you.”

“Well, I love you too.” Michael intones softly. “But you have to promise me that I'll never see that side of you again, Ry. You really scared me.”

“I'm sorry,” Ryan replies in a whisper. “I promise I'll never, ever direct my anger at you. I'd never hurt you, Mike. I'd die before that.”

“I believe you. I believe you and I love you.” Michael says. Ryan smiles, leans forward, and lets their lips touch for the very first time. Michael moans against his mouth and melts into the kiss.

_Now this_ , Ryan thinks, _is definitely something worth fighting for_.


End file.
